The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-02
cred into deep silk cuff, which was covered

panel. A soft, cream-colored silk had full
bodice shirred with cords, like the old Eng
lish drawn" bonnets, which, by the way,
are revived this season. The trimming con-
sisted of soft folds of yellow tlllle about the
throat and wrists, and yellow India silk
sash tied behind.
COUNTRY WEDDING.
The couple were seamstress generally
employed in the town and painter who
had probably known of her existence since
babyhood, but had not been particularly
acquainted with her until they met where
she was doing the spring sewing and he the
spring house renovating. The counting was
probably brief and to the point, and the
wedding arranged for June, before the arri-
val of the crowd of cottagers should make
the usual demands upon the time of all
willing workers. The girl had no very near
relations, and the lady for whom she had
been sewing, and who was an old friend and
patron, kindly allowed her to be married
from her house. The party assembled in
the sitting room, which was bright with
the daisies and buttercups, the pink and
white clover and arnica flowers, that star
every field and meadow.
The bride looked very pretty in suit of
blue wool, with vest, collar, cuffs and panel
of striped brocade and straw hat trimmed
with flowers and some of the brocade Her
her costume; apd it was q source of pride that
they did, for the latter was evidently in
tended for display and not for use. The
groom wore his best coat, blue tie, in &C
cordance with q rural tradition that the
mans necktie ought to correspond with the
woman's dress; and had tried to struggle
into gloves, out of Difference to his hostess
and because doubtless the bride had insisted
upon it as the regulation thing; but it
fail1ra (lna 6pnCln6 his
hand the other hung loose and limp, only
half encasing the fingers, and both were
desperately showed into his pockets before
the ceremony began. There were no brides
maids and no "best man. The pretty
daughter of the hostess, in dress of white
nuns yelling, with embroidered revers out
lining loose vest front and narrow, parti-
colored ribbons matching the embroidery,
dispensed cake and servant handed round
ice cream and lemonade. The lady of the
house wore her ordinary dress of black
cashmere; evidently she had not considered
it an occasion for dressing up" although
she had pretty dresses, as / had occasion to
observe later.
The dresses worn by the few women pres
ent friends of the bride or groom, might
have been taken off the figure stands of any
furnishing store in any city. The only diff
ference was that those of the young women
looked new; those of the married women,
old and worn, and not of so recent cut or
style. But they were all exact copies of the
prevailing style of the period to which they
belonged, and carried it as plainly as if it
had been labeled.
INITIATIVE DRESSING.
The most distinctive fact in the dressing
of women everywhere is the exactness with
which 1t reproduces certain features which
have caught the popular taste. For exam
pie, the vest, the panel, the high, straight
collar and cuffs of some contrasting or
decorative material. These traits, with
slight variations, appear everywhere, in
every costume worn upon the street or in
tended for the public eye. The majority of
dressmakers are not required to have ideas,
only fashion plates to copy from; and per-
haps it is just as well, for one must be very
well versed in the ordinary mode before one
can afford to depart from it.
But it is a little discouraging to find that
with all the talk about art and all the skill
women put into fancy work, how little
they know and how little they apply what
they know to their own covering and
adornment Women, whose homes are
bowers of beauty, who have little real work
to do, who occupy a large part of their
time in making chair scarfs and bureau
covers, satin satchetS and pin-cushions,
wear month in and month out the same old
DlaCh uIsSS, UredulilS ullSDdHu anu Cillur0n
constantly to garb which is poverty and
despair combined, and carries with it
most depressing influence. The thrift en-
bodied in it is praiseworthy; it combines
usefulness with economy. 1t is durable
and saves dressmakers' bills.
But there are SO many pretty materials
nowadays, which, if woman can make up
in simple and pretty style with her own
hands, she can put to varied and becoming
ALoN 10
them by dressmaker. There are so many
adaptations of pretty ideas; so much that is
refined and original in the way of treatment
and trimming that deft fingers can apply to
simple forms and fabrics-were the arts of
decorative needlework put by individuals
into their own clothing.
Amateur dressmal1ing has attained high
degree of perfection in England, and both
this and professional dresSmaking has been
stimulated by the recent annual exhibitions
of practical and artistic dressmaking, which
have received flattering attention from both
press and public. Some college-bred and
well-born women have been added to the
ranks of professional dressmakers, and are
bringing science and art to bear upon dress
designing and dressmaking. The serious
purpose in this, and the educated taste that
is brought to bear upon it, has already ex-
erted q noticeable effect upon the dress of
Enelishwomen, and will in time, make them
the best dressed, instead of the worst dressed
women in the world Already they are the
only civilized women who dare to be orig
inal.
BATHING COSTUMES.
There are no rows of bathing houses along
this part of the Atlantic coast; and at first
sight it would seem as if the inhabitants did
not avail themselves of their opportunities
But nearer acquaintance shows the bath
houses attached to each cottage; the dis
lance between them and the beach being